1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to an improved water aerator apparatus of the type immersible in a tub of water for directing jets of air into the water for producing a hydrotherapeutic, hydromassage, or the like effect on a person situated in the tub, or for generally recreational purposes, such as creating bubble baths or the like.
2. Background of the Invention
Prior art devices such as whirlpools and the like are well known for injecting streams of water that have a massaging effect on the body of the user. These water injecting devices provide a relaxing and soothing effect that may have many uses. Several disadvantages are attendant these devices, however. They are quite expensive and have a complicated structure that normally requires a paticularly designed tub or bath container for receiving the water injecting equipment and for correctly directing and containing the injected water.
There also presently exist several devices which attempt to reduce the cost of and simplify the apparatus to produce the desired effect. Many of these devices teach the use of a compressor or blower apparatus, which can be a vacuum cleaner, for example, to force air through a tubing passage which is preferably removably mounted by means of suction cups, for example, to the bottom of the bath container or tub, and into the water contained therein. Apparatus of this general type are fairly well known in the prior art. However, many problems have arisen with respect to these devices of the prior art which have rendered them unworkable in actual practice and unsafe in some respects, with regard to both the operator and the vacuum cleaner. In particular, when a vacuum cleaner is employed as a source of compressed air, the air feeder hose, which has generally been the vacuum cleaner hose, should be connected to the exhaust port thereof. However, if the operator accidentally connects the air feeder hose to the suction port of the vacuum cleaner, monumental problems result, as the water in the bath tub is suctioned, or backflowed, through the air feeder hose into the vacuum cleaner, with the consequence of "short circuiting" the vacuum cleaner and thereby electrocuting the person in the bath tub who is using the apparatus, resulting in great harm or death to such person. Some later devices of the prior art have attempted to overcome this serious disadvantage of the prior art by means of mounting a check valve within the air feeder hose, which allows flow from the vacuum cleaner into the bath tub, but which prohibits the backflow of water from the bath tub into the vacuum cleaner. However, these devices have been largely unsuccessful in preventing the undesirable backflow (and when successful, irreparable damage to the vacuum cleaner has occurred), have escalated the cost to the consumer for the device, and have also inhibited the amount of compressed air allowed to flow from the vacuum cleaner through the air feeder hose and into the water in the bath tub, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the device for creating air bubbles in the water, thereby ultimately lessening the desired effect of the apparatus. The present invention has as a primary objective the provision of a check valve assembly which eliminates these major disadvantages of the prior art. Particularly, the present invention teaches a generally cylindrical valve assembly housing having a closed, outer end and an open, inner end, wherein said valve assembly housing comprises a lower valve seat and a transverse port just thereabove communicating with the bore of a generally cylindrical connector receptacle which is fixably attached to, or integrally formed with the outer surface of said valve assembly housing. Many of the important, novel aspects of the present invention reside in said valve assembly housing, which comprises a generally spherical ball valve member, which is actuatable by pressurized fluid for movement between open and closed positions, whereby said ball valve member is in fluidly sealing, seating engagement with said lower valve seat in said closed position and whereby said ball valve member is disposed beyond said transverse port of said housing when in said open position, for thereby facilitating the transmission of said pressurized fluid through an air feeder hose and thence through horizontal perforations provided in said tubing passage and into said water for thereby agitating said water; and wherein said closed, outer end of said housing comprises a plurality of apertures, or air-slots, for facilitating escape of trapped air within said housing inner chamber between said spherical ball valve member and said closed, outer end of said housing, thereby enabling said ball valve member to clear said transverse port of said housing for thereby permitting maximum possible flow of said pressurized air from said exhaust port of said vacuum cleaner through said air feeder hose and said tubing passage and through said perforations of said tubing passage into said water contained by said bath tub or bath container. Said tubing passage is made of a flexible and pliable enough material, preferably an elastomeric material, to enable it to be manipulated into any desired configuration within said bath container or bath tub. The tubing passage of the present invention is referred to as an air bubble generating hose mat for generating air bubbles or similarly for imparting agitation to the water contained by said bath tub or bath container for purposes such as hydrotherapy, hydromassage, or recreational purposes such as creating bubble baths with bubble bath soap, etc. The contemplted appliance is an improvement with respect to feasibility of operation of the device, and in particular, with regard to an improved check valve for preventing backflow of water through the compressed air feeder hose into the vacuum cleaner and for allowing maxiumum compressed air flow therethrough and through the air bubble generating hose mat for generation of the maximum amount of air bubbles to produce the desired level of agitation to the water within said bath tub or bath container. Further, the present invention features suction attachments for securing the air bubble generating hose mat to the bottom surface of the bath tub, wherein said suction attachments are integral to or glued to the hose, rather than screwed thereto or attached in any other manner taught by the prior art, thereby reducing the cost of the apparatus to the consumer, and simplifying the character of and construction of the apparatus. An additional, significant improvement of the present invention is the provision of a safety feature which prevents damage to the vacuum cleaner or other source of pressurized air, and in particular, which prevents a "burning up" of the air motor of said source of pressurized air. Said safety feature comprises, in the preferred embodiment, rubber flaps provided on said valve assembly housing between said lower, valve seat thereof and said exhaust port of said vacuum cleaner or other source of pressurized air. Said safety feature of the present invention allows atmospheric air to be suctioned into said vacuum cleaner in the event that said air feeder hose is accidentally connected to the suction port rather than the exhaust port of said vacuum cleaner, thereby allowing the intake of atmospheric air, which provides a cooling effect to prevent burning up of the air motor contained therein. Further, said rubber flaps maintain their closed position during normal operation of the apparatus of the present invention, namely, when the air feeder hose is connected to the exhaust port of said vacuum cleaner, or other source of pressurized air, which is the normal operating mode of the present invention.